Van Sickle Bi-State Park facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Van Sickle Bi-State Park |
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 Van Sickle Bi-State Park
Location in Nevada
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| Location | Douglas County, Nevada & El Dorado County, California, United States |
| Nearest city | South Lake Tahoe, California |
| Area | 725 acres (293 ha) |
| Elevation | 6,283 ft (1,915 m) |
| Designation | Nevada state park |
| Established | 1988 |
| Named for | Henry Van Sickle |
| Administrator | Nevada Division of State Parks, California Tahoe Conservancy |
| Website | Van Sickle Bi-State Park |
Van Sickle Bi-State Park is a cool outdoor spot that sits right on the border between California and Nevada in the United States. It's a great place to see amazing views of Lake Tahoe. The park also helps us remember Henry Van Sickle, an important person who helped start the nearby town of Genoa. You can find trails here for hiking, mountain biking, and even horseback riding! Park teams from both Nevada and California work together to look after it.
A Look Back in Time
Henry Van Sickle first came to the Carson Valley way back in 1852. He built a hotel, a restaurant, and a blacksmith shop. He was also the first person to collect tolls for a road called Kingsbury Grade.
Later, a person named Jack bought the property. He sold thousands of Christmas trees from the land. He even had a rodeo and a drive-in movie theater there! From the 1960s until 1993, a place called Stateline Stables operated on the site. They had up to 60 horses and took tourists on rides through the area.
In 1988, when Jack Van Sickle owned the ranch, he donated about 542 acres (219 ha) of the land to the Nevada Division of State Parks. Then, in 2001, a group called the California Tahoe Conservancy bought the land next door in California. Finally, the park opened for everyone to enjoy in 2011.
Even though part of the park is in California, it's not officially a California state park. This is because the California Department of Parks and Recreation had some money problems and couldn't stay involved.
Exploring Van Sickle Park
This park covers a total of 725 acres (293 ha). About 575 acres (233 ha) are in Nevada, and 150 acres (61 ha) are in California. The main entrance and most of the old buildings are on the California side.
You might even see a big cable car (gondola) from the Heavenly Mountain Resort going right over the park near the old barn and stables!
When you visit, you can see the historic Van Sickle farm barn. There's also a log cabin built in 1917. The park has many hiking trails, and some of them connect to the famous Tahoe Rim Trail. This means you can explore even more of the beautiful Lake Tahoe area!
